A Little Storyteller
by drTomoe123
Summary: After the disbandment of the Juppongatana, Kamatari only has one thing to live by. While remembering the past and looking to the future, Kamatari fufills his dream of being the "cutest little storyteller"...


**Rurouni Kenshin – Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story**

"**A Little Storyteller"**

_by drTomoe123_

At one time in his life, "Kamatari the Large Scythe" was a member of Makoto Shishio's ruthless Juppongatana fighting force. He gained his nickname from his expertise with the chain scythe. Kamatari fought for one reason, to please Shishio. This same drive caused him to become a transvestite because of the fact he couldn't be Shishio's right hand man or right hand woman, so he had to be something just inbetween.

While fighting for Shishio at the Aoi-ya against the Oniwabanshuu, Kamatari was defeated by Kaoru Kamiya and Misao Makimachi. Once the Juppongatana was disbanded after the defeat of Makoto Shishio at the hands of Kenshin Himura, the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, Kamatari was left with no reason to live. Until Chou, a former member of the Juppongatana, told Kamatari that Shishio wanted everyone to become "storytellers" in case his plan failed. Kamatari gained a new reason to live, to share the memory of Makoto Shishio's dream with the new era of Japan.

It was a bright summer day in Kyoto, and the cicadas were chirping. Kids were running through the streets with their parents and families, and everyone was enjoying the beautiful day. There were various shops set up in different corners of the city along with numerous attractions. Kamatari was speaking, hidden in a secluded alley, and was surrounded by numerous children. The kids looked to be from as young as five or six years old to as mature as sixteen.

"Now, we get to the part where Lord Shishio was defeated by the legendary Himura Battousai," Kamatari explained.

The kids were completely caught up into the story. Not one of them spoke a word while listening to the story.

Kamatari finished the story, "Even though Lord Shishio was defeated by Himura Battousai, his memory and story live on in the heart of the Juppongatana and now, you children."

Kamatari bowed, showing the children that the story was over.

The kids were still amazed. There were about eleven of them in this narrow, dark alley in the middle of Kyoto. One or two of them were looking at Kamatari's great scythe, while most of them paid close attention to his story. One of the kids spoke up.

"So, does that mean that Himura Battousai is a bad man?"

Kamatari looked down and laughed, "In my eyes, Himura Battousai was an enemy. After thinking, though, I realized Himura wasn't much different from Shishio himself. They both fought with their lives on the line, and both for the future of Japan. So, answering your question, he isn't necessarily bad, but not my comrade, either."

Another one of the children yelled out to Kamatari.

"So, what is it that you're trying to tell us?"

Kamatari closed his eyes.

"I'm just trying to tell you all, that Makoto Shishio wasn't the man that the government made him out to be. He may have been violent, but he was still trying to improve the country of Japan for the better, and that is all that mattered."

Some of the kids were looking at each other, and one of the older ones smiled and yelled out, "Kamatari! We'll be back here tomorrow to hear more stories about Lord Shishio!"

Kamatari laughed and replied, "Alright! Make sure to get here early, though. I'll tell you the story about Usui, a man who wanted to kill Lord Shishio."

The children cheered and eventually all of them left the dark alley, and returned to their families and homes.

This was a normal day for the new Kamatari. After Shishio's death, Kamatari decided that telling the young era about Shishio would help improve the future, and besides, that's what Shishio wanted the Juppongatana to do. He would wait until dark hit Kyoto, then he would pick up his scythe and return home to his hut in the mountains surrounding the city.

It was nighttime now, and Kamatari started to yawn as he stood up, "Ahhh, I just feel so happy when I tell those stories. They make me remember so many great things about Lord Shishio."

He looked up at the stars and remembered his life with Shishio, "Even back then, I'd do just about anything that Lord Shishio wanted me to do. Now, even after his death, the rest of my life is devoted to him. Man, I'm such a sucker for a strong guy."

"After he died, I just didn't want to live anymore. I realized then that Lord Shishio truly was every part of my life. I loved him so much. All he wanted to do was make Japan better for people like me. Not the politicians and people who had wealth, but people like me, who fought for their entire lives."

Kamatari put his hand to his head and brushed his hair back, "I'm happy that I'm alive now. Even without Lord Shishio being here, I'm still happy. My memories of him will always be there, and they'll help me get through the hard times, I know it. Although, I guess I must admit I would be happier if he still was alive…though I don't know if I could stand that Yumi another second longer."

"I wonder how Soujiro is doing now. He was very loyal to Lord Shishio, and I hope he's faring just as well as I am. I've realized that even though my past may be shattered now, I'm still able to pick up those pieces and slowly rebuild it."

Kamatari smiled and looked at the crescent moon as he picked up his scythe and started to walk out of the now-extremely dark alley.

"To think, all of this happened because Chou told me that Shishio called me the 'Cutest Little Storyteller'. How could I NOT love a man who called me that?" Kamatari laughed.

"Besides, I know that I'm genuinely being useful to Lord Shishio, and for the first time in my life, I'm truly happy."

Kamatari grasped his chain scythe and threw it over his shoulder.

"Time to go home, I guess. I have so many more stories to tell tomorrow! Heh, I'll make Usui look like a baboon, I always DID hate him."

So Kamatari, living out a new life fabricated by the memory of Makoto Shishio, continued down the dark streets of Kyoto, with a glimmer of hope inside of his heart.

THE END 

**Notes:**

This was a one-shot story I've had in my mind for a long time. Kamatari has always been one of my favorite characters, mainly because of his genuine love for someone, in this case being Shishio.

The theme that I basically wanted to convey was that "you can live on even after a broken past" which is a theme common in my stories and Rurouni Kenshin as a whole. Another thing is just beacuse I just loved Kamatari so much that I wanted him to end up happy, which I hope you could realize from reading this fan-fic.

That's it for now, and hopefully you can expect a story about Seijurou Hiko or another favorite character of mine (Misao) soon. :D

drTomoe123


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